Rio 2016 Olympic Round-Up

The lead-up to this year’s Summer Olympic games was much different than that of past years. Between the Zika Virus, contaminated water, crime, and stadium construction, there was certainly no shortage of topics to discuss heading into Rio this Summer.

Despite the countless controversies surrounding it, the Brazilian city did a great job of making sure the focus during these past two weeks was solely on celebrating the talents of the world’s greatest athletes. With the 2016 Olympics coming to an end at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, we wanted to take a look back at the notable moments that took place in Rio De Janeiro these past few weeks.

American Dominance

For those of us supporting the United States in these Olympics, it was amazing to see how American athletes stack up against those of all other countries. We were able to watch our male and female athletes dominate sports such as swimming, basketball, gymnastics, Track & Field, and many more.

While we got to watch Michael Phelps continue his dominance in the pool, part of the excitement of the Olympics is being introduced to athletes who deservedly became household names in this short time span, such as Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky. We even saw both our men’s and women’s basketball teams go undefeated in their respective tournaments to bring home gold medals.

Across the country, everyone made their way to a television to support all of the athletes representing the United States. Well, we certainly weren’t disappointed with the outcome. The United States led all countries with 121 medals, with China coming in 2nd place with 70 medals. This massive margin just proves the dominance that the United States displayed over in Brazil, making all U.S supporters proud to be represented by such amazing athletes in these games.

Other Nations Triumph

Despite this American dominance, teams from other countries were able to bring about some unforgettable Olympic moments. Usain Bolt left no doubt about who the world’s fastest man is as he smiled his way to the finish line to add three more gold medals to his impressive collection. The host nation even got to witness their beloved men’s soccer team win their first gold medal after defeating Germany with penalty kicks.

Official Medal Count for 2016 Summer Olympics

United States: 121 medals (46 Gold, 37 Silver, 38 Bronze)

China: 70 medals (26 Gold, 18 Silver, 26 Bronze)

Great Britain: 67 medals (27 Gold, 23 Silver, 17 Bronze)

Russia: 56 medals (19 Gold, 18 Silver, 19 Bronze)

Germany: 42 medals (17 Gold, 10 Silver, 15 Bronze)

With the success of these Olympics, all we can do now is look forward to the next Summer games, coming to Tokyo in 2020. But if you love the Olympics as much as we do, you’ll be just as excited for the Winter games coming to PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018. While we look forward to even more Olympic excitement in the future, don’t forget about the history we witnessed at Rio 2016.